King Jeongjo's Secret Letters and Rough Language

King Jeongjo, considered a wise ruler of Joseon, sent numerous secret letters (eochal) to his officials. These secret letters contained expressions unimaginable from the lips of a usually solemn monarch. He wrote things like, "I'm so angry about what those scoundrels did that it's almost the fifth watch (3-5 AM) as I write this letter," and "This fellow still smells of milk and hasn't quite become a proper human." He even used the insult 'horojashik [胡種子]' (meaning bastard or rascal). Lively expressions, akin to proverbs and colloquialisms, also appeared frequently. Sentences like 'like a pheasant bitten by a dog,' 'a cake that fits the mouth,' and 'how could that person be satisfied with one spoonful and starved by one spoonful?' are found. The Korean expression 'dwijukbakjuk' (meaning jumbled or messed up), which couldn't be written in Hanja, was written in Hangul. The expression 'gaga (呵呵)' also appeared often, representing laughter, similar to 'kk' today.